Chinese toymakers show signs of recovery
Print Edition
THOUGH reports of toxic products battered China’s toymakers in 2008, higher spending globally and new safety standards show the Chinese toy industry is recovering from the scandal.
China this month has published a new international toy safety standard, which was adopted by the International Organization for Standardization in May.
The new standard is the first international standard on phthalate ester, a plasticizer that has been linked to health hazards, including liver and kidney damage.
This standard is largely based on an existing Chinese national standard, the ISO said in its introduction.
The technical committee in charge of drawing up the standard was led by Huang Lina, a toy safety expert with the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
“The new standard illustrates the determination of the Chinese toy industry in actively adopting international toy standards,” said Huang in Guangzhou, capital of the province.
China is the world’s biggest toy producer and exporter, accounting for more than 70 percent of the world market.
In 2013, China exported toys worth US$12.38 billion, including US$4.3 billion in shipments to the United States, making it China’s largest market for toys, according to Chinese customs.
Li Zhuoming, executive vice director of the Guangdong Toy Association, said Chinese toymakers don’t just want made-in-China toys to be popular, but also want Chinese toy safety standards to meet the world’s strictest quality requirements.
“China’s active participation in drawing up international standards will help Chinese toy factories better understand and employ the standards in production,” Li said.
China’s toy industry was hit hard by reports of toxic toys in exports to the US in 2008. In response, the Chinese government launched a four-month product safety crackdown, particularly on toys and foodstuffs.
As a result, more than 600 toymakers nationwide had their export licenses revoked and more than 1,480 people were arrested.
Over the years, the Chinese government and toy industry have been working to improve the safety record of made-in-China toys.
Latest data suggested that both domestic and foreign consumers are spending more on Chinese-made toys.
According to the customs, China’s toy exports jumped 12.8 percent year on year to 41.9 billion yuan (US$6.8 billion) in the first 7 months of this year. The growth rate was 4.7 percentage points higher than for the entire year of 2013.
Such growth is set to continue through the rest of this year, as Chinese toymakers are expected to be busier from August to November as they churn out more toys and gadgets for Christmas season catch-up orders from Western countries.
Chinese parents have also been spending more on toys. A consumer survey in eight Chinese mainland cities by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council showed that average annual total spending on toys by Chinese parents has risen from 799 yuan in 2010 to 1,069 yuan in 2014.
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